National Ag Day Emphasizes Role of Farmers

Ag Day events will tell story of agriculture in Washington D.C. and across the nation.

Mar 08, 2012

This year's theme for Ag Day is "American Agriculture: Abundant. Affordable. AMAZING. The Agriculture Council of America is hosting three major events on March 8, 2012 in Washington, D.C. There will be Coffee at USDA in the morning, the Mix-and-Mingle Luncheon, and the National Celebration of Agriculture Dinner. A number of producers, agricultural associations, corporations, students and government organizations involved in agriculture are expected to participate, reminding citizens how agriculture touches us all. These events are just a few of the nationwide effort to tell the true story of American agriculture.

Agriculture provides almost everything we eat, use and wear on a daily basis. But too few people truly understand this contribution. This is particularly the case in our schools, where students may only be exposed to agriculture if they enroll in related vocational training.

By building awareness, the Agriculture Council of America is encouraging young people to consider career opportunities in agriculture.

Each American farmer feeds more than 144 people ... a dramatic increase from 25 people in the 1960s. Quite simply, American agriculture is doing more - and doing it better. As the world population soars, there is an even greater demand for the food and fiber produced in the United States.

As National Ag Day is celebrated in classrooms and communities across the country, youth participation is a large part of Ag Day. As part of the festivities an essay contest and video essay contest is held.

This year's written essay winner is Miram Martin of Bucklin, Mo. To read her essay "American Agriculture: Feeding the Future, Filling the Gaps", click HERE.

The winning video essay was made by Diane Gress of Shreve, Ohio. To view the video, click HERE.

National Ag Day is organized by the Agriculture Council of America. ACA is a nonprofit organization composed of leaders in the agricultural, food and fiber community, dedicating its efforts to increasing the public's awareness of agriculture's role in modern society.

The National Ag Day program encourages every American to:

Understand how food and fiber products are produced.

Appreciate the role agriculture plays in providing safe, abundant and affordable products.

Value the essential role of agriculture in maintaining a strong economy.

Acknowledge and consider career opportunities in the agriculture, food and fiber industry.